Wednesday, March 13, 2024

At the Mercy of Orphans

 

At the Mercy of Orphans

In my corner of the mountains
the pitter patter of rain on the roof
goes thud
crash
and sometimes
smash.

Spare me, Big Trees.
Spare my house
built of the flesh of your
fathers.

…..

From my book Son of a Poet
Note: I love redwoods and my soul takes shelter within their forest but I’m also a carpenter and the big trees are aware… 40 years ago in a windstorm a tree trunk like a giant axe sliced my neighbor’s house in half. The poem was prescient; I wrote it a few months before that storm.

at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Hi folks

 For a few years now I've been posting my poetry on Facebook (and made many friends in the process). Now I want to be more widely availa...

  • A feral calico cat
      A feral calico cat used to sleep in my truck like a ghost leaving the driver’s seat warm but gone when I’d arrive. Heard me, sharp ears. S...
  • Autobiography of Kisses
      Autobiography of Kisses With guitar and proper hair how innocent we were (lips of warm bread) a lifetime ago (tongue of butter) just kissi...
  • The Diplomat's Daughter
      The Diplomat's Daughter The diplomat’s daughter can recite the 23rd Psalm in Hindi, once drank Coca Cola with Martin Luther King, is 1...
  • Wet Nurse
      Wet Nurse Harold asks for a résumé. Akna bares her left breast. The nipple is bulbous, erect. No, Harold explains, where have you worked b...
  • Mr. Hilton
      Mr. Hilton My Uber driver in bushy white beard says Wowza! with a memorable pitch not heard since high school as he conveys me skillfully...
  • Official Licensed Poet
    Official Licensed Poet I go to the hiring hall for poets but a bouncer at the door demands to see my license. “What license?” I ask. Don’t p...
  • Some Day, Grandson
      Some Day, Grandson Infant of painful belly sleeps only when held, gently bounced, seeking skin contact, the family scent, flesh to flesh. ...
  • Boy, Almost Six
      Boy, Almost Six You are five or as you say, almost   six. You have a toolbox     like me. You read books in bed     like me. You even make...
  • Hi folks
     For a few years now I've been posting my poetry on Facebook (and made many friends in the process). Now I want to be more widely availa...
  • On Call
      On Call I am in bed, midnight, when the doctor calls. She says my brother is in the Highland Hospital Emergency Room with high blood sugar...